Magic
by twelvegrimmauldplace
Summary: A fairytale collapsing due to Voldemortal threat. A rushed meeting in a park with a tragic ending despite preventative measures. Sirius in love. NOT slash.


Disclaimer: _Unfortunately I do not own Sirius Black or Peter Pettigrew or anything you happen to recognise from the Harry Potter world.

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Magic

The leaves swirled in the light breeze, shimmering and twisting in the sunset glow as if they were sprinklings of glitter. As soon as they hit the soft ground they were swept back up again to repeat their merry dance.

The grass was slightly overgrown and still wet from yesterday's rain, tickling at her toes and leaving patterns of drips on his shoes.

The sunset glow was a gorgeously soft pink, almost making the meeting seem surreal – like a fairytale. Most of the leaves had deserted the trees and most of the people had deserted their park – only two remained, quietly approaching each other, transfixed. The only onlookers were the animals – rabbits, guinea pigs and an assortment of birds, the latter of which insisted on creating a little noise to complete, or spoil, the atmosphere, but the couple couldn't hear the squawks anyway – they were focused on each other.

When they reached each other neither smiled. Their eyes searched one another's finding stories untold and the emotions that went with them, finding rights and wrongs and hints of what was going to happen next.

Then they were kissing, rushed and desperate – time wasn't on their side. They both had things to do and this meeting might be their last; this might be the end of their fairytale.

Eventually they pulled away, lips tingling, faces flushed, longing for that kiss not to be the last, praying for a reprieve. Regret surfaced all too quickly – regret that they hadn't got together sooner, regret that circumstance kept them apart, regret that now was probably the end – that kiss might be the last.

He was the first to speak, his soulful grey eyes showing not even a hint of their old playful sparkle, his rough voice tumbling from his lips, unsteady but definitely sure.

"I _have _to do this."

It wasn't to reaffirm it to himself – he didn't need to. He was telling her. Just telling her. She knew that he wouldn't be swayed and he knew that she would respect his decision, even if she didn't like the consequences.

"I know." She replied softly, her voice barely audible over the squawks and rustling leaves.

The scene was beautiful, but they only had eyes for each other, committing every detail of each other to memory, savouring what they'd had and what could've been.

He wanted to stay with her; to protect her, but he knew that, ultimately, he couldn't. The Death Eaters were getting stronger and if anyone associated her with him, he was sure she would be murdered at best. He had explained vaguely and she had trusted that he couldn't tell all.

It still hurt. It still hurt like hell, like his heart was being slowly diced and ripped out, like he needed her for his own wellbeing; for his own sanity. She was essential.

Short of time, short of energy, short of sunlight, they stole one more frenzied kiss before wrenching apart and stepping back a few paces.

"I love you."

Those three words from her meant the world to him, filling him with a wave of joy followed by a new feeling of emptiness because she couldn't be with him anymore, at least until the threat of Voldemort was over and who knew how long that would take?

"I love you."

He needed her to know that, even if it was hurting her as much as it was hurting him – he _needed _her to know.

Tearing their eyes away from each other, they both turned and slowly walked away, swishing through the wet grass as the sunset pink glow began to fade to nothingness.

Their hearts in tatters, they entered a muted, dampened world where things didn't seem as vivid and alive as they did before – their fairytale had ended.

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The agonising wait to see each other again was short; too short. He shouted at the evil rat that had committed the ultimate betrayal and the rat fired off a mass killing curse.

He saw the awful, awful shock on her face and he watched as her body fell to the ground as if in slow motion, her bags of shopping crashing to the floor at her sides.

Now everyone was gone, his only love reduced by most to just a number – just one of the twelve killed by Peter Pettigrew, or as some would have it, the 13 unlucky souls terminated by Sirius Black.

And though he could never wipe the memory of her murder, every time he thought of her he thought of the park and the last kiss. He was always so, so grateful that the last words he had said to her were 'I love you' – which, he knew were her idea of real magic.

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_A/N: Of course, reviews appreciated...maybe this might seem slightly out of character, but consider the reasons behind - Sirius is preparing to become the Potter's Secret Keeper or for Peter to become - either way he thought Death Eaters would assume it was him and be after him and thus broke it off. Tanya. x_


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